Getting Started in the Food Planning Area

Alright, all of us are constantly doing something, or maybe you’re laid up in bed sick. It makes meal time difficult. One of the things I hate the most about running a family is standing over the stove cooking a meal when I’m seeping mucus and coughing left and right with fever or whatever. And ’tis the season. Just to clarify, I don’t like to cook when I’m sick like this, because I’m always afraid that I’ll spread on my illness, especially when cooking. Washing your hands and all. So I’m going to touch on a few things, and then give you guys a bit of a “homework assignment”.

Breakfast around here is touch and go. My two older children have gotten their breakfast eating habits from me. Meaning that they need a couple hours before they are loading their tummies in the mornings. On weekends that is perfectly fine. During weekdays with school, I don’t like that much. So we have a snacky morning during the weekdays.

That means that instead of a full breakfast they eat a breakfast snack instead. We do toast, dry cereal, morning muffins. They’re all pretty quick. But what if you’d like a more balanced kind of quick start, just in case they didn’t make it to the breakfast line or their morning snack at school took a bit longer to get to.

So, I searched through some of the recipes that I saved somewhere. And I have to say, I really don’t remember where I got this recipe, so Kudos to whomever did it first. I take no credit for it. However, the buggies love it. They are mini frozen breakfast parfait cupcakes. And sooooo easy to do, plus the kids can help with pretty much every step

Step 1:

Get out your mini-cupcake pan and mini-cupcake liners in. (yes, this part matters. I tried a batch without the liners, couldn’t get it out. I waited for it to melt a bit, and to my surprise, I was cleaning my counters….and nothing to show for it afterwards.)

Step 2:

Cover the bottom with granola (that’s about 1 tsp.). I added a drizzle of honey, but it did make them a bit slimy and stick when we went to eat them. It was yummy though, so it was worth it.

Step 3:

Put in about 2 tsp. of your favorite yogurt. I had gotten plain unflavored yogurt, so that I can make my own yogurt later, added some vanilla and sugar to it for flavor, then a can of shredded pineapple to add a bit more. However, any flavor will do, and you do not really need to get extravagant with additives.

Step 4:

Top with small fruits and berries, or just one large

chunk of fruit, then put the whole pan into the freezer and freeze until solid.

Step 5:

Pop them out of the pan, and place them into a freezer bag for further storage. Once frozen they can be eaten right away.

These also make great mid day snacks, or even bed time snacks. And again, the buggies love it, and they can totally help. Part of setting up a meal plan is helping yourself to prepare for those days that you may have to do a breakfast on the run, and something like this allows you to do so without having to stop for fast food or the gas station or something like it. It is healthy, and most kids love it.

Now for the homework assignment:

Before I start really digging into major meal planning, one of the best things we can do to save on time and money is use what is already there. Not to mention you need to realize what you do and do not use the most. Knowing your staple items can help you out when you make your shopping list. So, start with your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. What do you have hidden back in there. Make an inventory list of each, and next week I’ll brush up on what is in my refrigerator and how to make a meal plan from what seems like nothing in your cupboards.